Hail To The King
''Rise of The Cyclones'' The Evil Men Do.. - Part 1 / The Evil Men Do.. - Part 2 / Utopia / Hail To The King / Mother Knows Best / Last Stand WARNING - this story takes place at around the same time as Wolves At The Door and will serve as a means of introducing Ignis, which in turn shall prepare Red's ultimate transformation into Carmine as of Mother Knows Best.. Cast *General Earl Dean *Ignis *Para *Dox *Reef * HAIL TO THE KING Prologue "..for so long I have watched as my country was ravaged by monsters, demons and madmen - when I tried to take a stand against them I found myself a pawn.. then demonized as a terrorist.. my own country turned against me and now I am a wanted man.. all my dreams.. all my hopes.. shattered.. like the foundation of democracy itself.. yet, as much as I may want to I can't give up.. not now.. not ever.. I have to make them understand.. I have to make them listen.." General Dean thought to himself as he walked into an elevator and watched the doors close behind him, the elevator going down several floors before stopping suddenly and opening its doors to reveal a long hallway. General Dean walked down the hallway and was greeted by several armed guards as well as a female scientist in a lab coat, she handed him a small device that displayed a holographic image of a mechanical creature not dissimilar in appearance to a Pegacorn, yet darker in appearance and filled with complex designs. "..I think you'll be pleased with the design, General - I have had my best men working day and night on this project.. if you don't mind me saying so, this may be one of the finest Cyclones we have ever created..". General Dean scanned over the device then handed it back to the scientist as they entered a small room, a team of scientists stepped aside to reveal a figure strapped upright to a large table. "..this is more than just a simple Cyclone, Heather - this is a specialized hunter.. a ray of hope against the threat of human extinction..". The female scientist noticed the General's tone and tilted her head slightly as she walked over to the figure strapped onto the table and placed a hand on its chest. "..General, with all due respect - you're frightening me.. this machine is designed to enforce ISDF law as is standard for any Cyclone.. I would strongly discourage any misuse of this technology.. especially after what happened in Utopia..". General Dean's eyes flared up and he stomped slightly in place, "..ENOUGH! .. what happened in Utopia was a mistake! don't you think I know that?! that mistake is going to cost us all.. yet I can't let it cripple our efforts now.. especially with this Twilight Corruption..". The female scientist observed the General's temper with concern, keeping her hand on the machine's chest as she paused for a moment before replying. "..consider the source of that information, General.. you can not trust a known terrorist..". General Dean frowned darkly as he looked to the female scientist, as if thinking on her words before he too replied: "..as far as the world is concerned, Heather, we're all terrorists.. now activate the machine..". The female scientist gave the General another concerned look before she moved over and carefully activated the machine as instructed, instantly the figure's eyes open - glowing red as it began to stir, heavy restraints keeping it in place. "..easy.. you're safe here.." the female scientist began. "..don't treat it like a child, Heather, it is a machine - now.. state your name soldier.." General Dean snapped. "..I am Ignis.." the machine droned, the female scientist glaring at General Dean as she once again placed her hand over Ignis' chest. "..and what is your purpose?" General Dean continued. "..to seek out and nullify the Twilight Force before it can become a threat to the safety of humanity.." Ignis replied. "..and who is your master?" General Dean asked. "..I serve only the ISDF.." Ignis replied. General Dean looked to Ignis for a moment, then to the female scientist "..alright Heather, release Ignis and have him begin training - I expect a full report on my desk within 12 hours..". The female scientist watched as General Dean turned around and began walking out the room, waiting until he'd reached the door before she finally spoke out again: "..General? I still think you should reconsider.. the Twilight Force could become a useful resource if properly channelled.. by working with these beings we could..". "Enough, Heather! we can't reason with dragons any more than we can superhumans.. they aren't natural.. they aren't even human.. I.. I'm done with that.." General Dean replied, walking out of the room and slamming the door behind him. The female scientist stared after the General for a few moments, her eyes turning bright red as she whispered: "..have it your way, General..". Chapter 1 The scene shifted to a couple of days later with a pair of teenage Pegacorns playing in the back-alley of an urban city, they had dark skin covered in strange glowing marks and dressed casually - despite their age they were acting much like small children as they wrestled with one another and laughed. "..alright! alright! you win! you win!" the male calls out as he is pinned down by the female, who tugs on one of his legs. "..say uncle!" the female grins, tugging more. "..ack! uncle! uncle!" the male calls out, wriggling as he flaps his wings around. "now say "you're the best Dox! you're the best!" " the female chuckled, keeping a hold of the leg. "what?! no way! get off me! you weigh a ton!" the male exclaims, wriggling even more. "you calling me fat?!" the female growls. "no, your fat is calling you fat!" the male taunts. "oh, that tears it! you're dead!" the female roars and the two once again begin wrestling, knocking over several trash cans in the process and startling a few stray cats. Suddenly and without warning a new figure approaches from the shadows and he twins look up in surprise, ready to get up as they had not expected company - however once they see the figure their eyes widen in horror as they fall back against a wall. "..woah! what the hell?! what the -?!" the male began. "..n-no! y-you can't be.. you..!" the female gasped. Then the scene shifted out from the back-alley as two cries of pain echo out across the street, the crowds stopping as red lightning surges across the back-alley. A few moments later a few brave souls stepped back into the alley and looked in shock at the two Pegacorns laying on the ground, lifeless, their bodies still smouldering from the recent attack and a few members of the crowd move forward as others begin to phone emergency services as everyone looked around in confusion as a dark figure flew away from the scene.. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ That night the two Pegacorns lay side by side in a special ward recently opened for superhumans, ever since the events of Utopia the public's eyes had been opened significantly to the dangers of anti-superhuman sentiment and although it was still common to find prejudice there was a visible campaign now amongst authorities to change the treatment of superhumans before it was too late. The two Pegacorns were asleep and still wired up to machines that monitored their bio-signs while also helping to combat their wounds, though doctors expected a full recovery due to the remarkable healing the pair had managed to achieve by themselves - the pair were positioned near enough so they could reach over and hold each others hands, the doctors having noticed in doing so the twins ability to heal seemed to greatly enhance. A pair of armed guards stood watch over the two Pegacorns, a grim reminder of how much work still had to be done to keep superhumans safe in an uncertain world.. ('ooc:- characters may now join below if one feels they are relevant to the story and available given the time-period (which is roughly parallel to Wolves At The Door) ') Outside the hospital a sea hawk circled the skies, peering through the window at the two unconcious pegacorns. //How tragic.// the bird shreiked to itself. The bird fluttered down to the window-still and perched himself next to the glass, peering inside at the two. Though the two teenagers were unconcious, Reef could sense that their minds were still somewhat active and in an almost dream-like state. He pressed at their minds with his own, easily gaining entry. //What happened to you two?// The bird is greeted with a flash-back of the event in the alley, of the two Pegacorns being confronted by a shadowy figure - who proceeded to unleash a beam of red energy at them: the feeling of intense pain followed.. then darkness.. the twins twitching slightly as they open their eyes and sit up in the hospital beds as if awakening from a nightmare: the machine beeping like mad as the guards leapt a good few feet in the air at the unexpected movement. Category:Story Category:Dark Category:Sci-Fi